Chapter Four
Keely sipped her drink, eyeing the men surrounding their table.
All good looking, fabulous physiques, and completely ignoring her, preferring her coworkers’ attention.
I get it. Competing with a table of blonde haired, blue eyed, goddesses?
Impossible. There was no competition. Keely tossed back the remaining mouthful of her fruity, blue drink and scanned the dance floor.
This was not at all what she’d expected with her VIP pass. This was turning out to be a very different experience from when she’d come with her best friend, Charley, a few months ago. That night had been epic. A memory she’d relive when she was old and gray telling stories about the good ol’ days .
“Margaritas!” Her friend lifted her arms above her head and wiggled in her chair, giving an enthusiastic cheer. The waitress smiled and placed the glasses on the table.
What the…
There were three drinks and four women at the table.
Clearly, Keely had been overlooked when the guy ordered them.
Typical. A group of guys had gathered at their table an hour ago.
Keely tried to make small talk, but none of them seemed interested.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She wound up talking with Darryl, who seemed to be the other guys’ gopher of sorts.
They were two outcasts at the end of the table that everyone else seemed to ignore.
Darryl was nice enough, decent looking and even made a trip to the bar to get her a drink.
He wasn’t necessarily her type, but at least she had someone to talk with.
The conversation was bland and generic. At points, it almost felt like a job interview.
Odd but…. beggars can’t be choosers, Keely .
When he left to use the bathroom, Keely made her own exit.
It was a long shot, but she was going to try and find the back room.
The last and only other time she’d been to the X-Lounge, she’d gotten into the exclusive section of the club.
At that time, her friend Penny had played a huge role in getting her in.
But Keely wasn’t above trying on her own.
Keely left the VIP platform without a word to anyone at the table and started passed the dance floor. It had thinned out, but it still took her ten minutes to get through the crowds.
She glanced up at the balcony. There were several men in black suits lining the perimeter, but she was only looking for one in particular.
The last time she’d seen Caine he’d been a witness to her berating from Rogue.
Humiliation was putting it mildly. Not that she should even care.
She wasn’t a blip on Caine’s radar. A man like him, who was probably surrounded by gorgeous women daily at the club, wouldn’t even give her a second thought.
Keely’s face heated, and she jerked her head forward, abandoning her quest to see him. It was best just to forget about Caine.
I’m only torturing myself.
Keely weaved through a large group blocking the hallway.
It was a good starting point. She remembered walking down the hall and making a left at the end.
From there, it was a bit hazy. Unlike the Bowery, the X-Lounge seemed more like a maze.
She was hoping a familiar door would spark her memory. She walked down the hall searching.
Now, where is that door?
****
Caine stood with his back resting against the wall in the surveillance room. Nash had called the impromptu meeting hours earlier. Usually, these were conducted in his office, but Cyrus was assigned to train a member of security to oversee the club’s main floor for the night.
Caine didn’t know the newer guy well, but he’d been working up the ranks for the past five years, and according to Nash, showed a lot of promise. It didn’t matter either way to Caine. He never trained members. It wasn’t beneath him, but he lacked the patience, and that was a well-known fact.
“Olinger’s crew came up short with their load last night.
He claims it was miscommunication and poor packing.
” Nash arched his brow, clearly not believing the bullshit story.
Transports didn’t just randomly show up light, and rarely was there an honest mistake.
Caine was sure it happened occasionally, but Olinger was notorious for skimming from the top with other crews.
It had become a cycle, and one that was about to come to an abrupt end.
He’d made the unfortunate mistake of trying his scheme with their organization.
Bad fucking move.
“They’re expected at the warehouse tomorrow night to make the exchange.” Nash paused, scanning the men before locking eyes on Caine. “I’d like you three to personally handle it. Bring at least ten men with you.”
To an outsider listening, they’d probably assume Caine, Ridge, and Cyrus were being sent in to make sure the entire shipment showed up.
That wasn’t completely accurate. The Underground wasn’t known for second chances, and tomorrow night Olinger and his crew would learn a hard lesson in trying to outsmart the organization.
Caine gave a curt nod, acknowledging his order.
A soldier in the Underground. Like everyone, Caine had started at the bottom and worked his way up the ranks through the years.
Dealing and distribution was his introduction.
He was usually the brawn and muscle behind the men taking the lead on small deals.
Years later, a member who ranked higher up tried to cut a deal on the side.
The others had overlooked it. Not Caine.
He’d gone straight to Nash and reported it.
His only loyalty was to himself and the Underground.
Nash glanced at the three men. “Anything else?”
“When are we meeting with Inez?” Ridge asked.
“Just waiting to hear back from Ace. We’ve got the plan in motion, but nothing moves forward until the MC and Inez say,” Nash said, passing by him. “Jared is stopping by tonight for the burner phones. Are they ready?”
They’d be the primary source of contact between him, Cyrus, Ridge, Jared, and Jessie while they were working under Inez.
Caine lowered his chin. “Yes, sir.”
Nash left the room, leaving Caine with Cyrus and Ridge. Caine pulled out his phone, glancing over his schedule for the night. It would be an easy one. With Oz off the premises and no assignments, he’d probably head home in an hour.
“Is that” —Cyrus paused, and Caine glanced up from his phone. He was pointing to the screen in the upper corner— “Charley’s friend? The redhead?”
An instant rush pulsed through his veins. Cyrus hadn’t even said her name, and Caine had an unnatural response to her presence. He pushed off the wall, straightened, and veered his eyes to the security screens.
Ridge started to move closer when Caine dropped his phone to his side and tilted his head for a better angle.
As high tech as the surveillance was, it was hard to make her out in the sea of people near the dance floor.
Caine stepped forward, rounded Cyrus’s back, and grasped the back of his chair.
His eyes slowly scanned, and he tightened his hands when he locked eyes on her.
There was no missing her wild curly hair.
“Yeah, that’s her.”
What the fuck was she doing there? And alone? As Keely walked down the main hallway, he noticed she slowed her steps near every door. She didn’t attempt to open any, but she seemed very interested, as if she was looking for a specific one.
Goddammit!
If he had to guess, she was on a mission to locate The Lounge. She’d managed to get into the exclusive backroom last time she was there. Security still hadn’t heard the end of that breech.
“She’s a little too batshit crazy even for me, but” —Cyrus whistled— “the body on her.”
As much as he didn’t like hearing Cyrus’s appreciation for Keely, he wasn’t wrong.
Keeping his eyes off of her when she was around was the ultimate test of his control.
It was the biggest reason he stayed far away from her.
Caine didn’t necessarily have a type, but Keely checked off boxes he didn’t even know existed.
Her body, stacked on top, a slightly dipped waist, and thick hips, had him fighting against a primal reaction.
Caine dug his nails into the chair and jerked it slightly. “Will you try and stay fucking focused?”
Cyrus chuckled and glanced up over his shoulder. “What? You hadn’t noticed, Caine?”
I fucking noticed, asshole. He ignored the comment and steeled his features.
“Nash know she’s here?” Ridge asked.
“No.” Caine’s tone was lethal. “What the fuck is she doing?”
Had Nash known, Caine had no doubt he would’ve alerted him and the others. Ridge slowly turned to Caine, and smirked.
“Maybe she’s looking for you.” Ridge gestured to the screen. “I’m thinking, Red likes you, man.”
Caine ignored the jab and stayed laser focused on Keely walking down the hall.
“There’s a few others from the Bowery here tonight. She probably came with them.” Cyrus said.
Caine scoffed, narrowing his gaze. “Rogue just ate her ass up and put her on suspension. There’s no way she got passes from the Bowery.”
How the fuck did she get in?
Cyrus tapped the keyboard and leaned closer, reading the screen. Recorded footage from the front door showed Keely, by herself, handing two cards to the bouncer. Her photo ID and a VIP pass.
Cyrus snickered and wiggled his brows. “Think she stole the pass?”
Fuck! She most definitely did. What the fuck was she thinking? This woman was beyond trouble and chaos. God, this woman is a fucking menace.
“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Cyrus offered.
“No,” Caine snapped, gaining both men’s attention. “I’ll let Nash know.”
Cyrus spread out his arms with a taunting smile. “Where’s the harm, man? She’s Charley’s friend. Let the girl have some fun. Probably earned it after dealing with Rogue.”
No.
Caine didn’t bother answering, just turned and walked out of the room, heading to Nash’s office. The door was open, but he still knocked, making his presence known. Nash was standing near his desk, adjusting his jacket and tucking his phone in his pocket.
“Something you need, Caine?”
He’d had all the confidence when he walked over to the office. Now, he was debating on his choice to expose Keely. Cyrus’s words were playing over in his head. Who was he to get involved anyway? This had nothing to do with him. She had nothing to do with Caine.
He could’ve easily come up with something else as an explanation to Nash. This is none of my fucking business. But… Caine wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but he didn’t like the idea of her being in the club unattended. It left her vulnerable to unwanted attention. Unwanted by who, Caine?
He ground his teeth, ignoring the slight jealousy rushing through his veins.
“Were you aware Charley’s friend is here?”
Nash knitted his brows, walking toward him. “Who?”
Caine clenched his teeth. “Keely.”
Nash’s jaw squared, and he grasped his hips, angling his head to the ceiling. Letting out a heavy sigh, Nash subtly shook his head.
“She came in alone, but there’s a few others from the Bowery here tonight. She used a VIP pass.”
Nash snorted. “Those fucking passes are gonna be the death of me.”
Caine kept his opinion to himself, but he’d never approved of them. The idea of being rewarded for doing their job seemed ludicrous. It’s their fucking job. Staying employed should’ve been incentive enough.
“Where was she last seen?”
“She was heading down the hallway.” Caine paused. “If I had to guess, she was looking for the access door to The Lounge.”
“Fuck,” Nash snapped under his breath.
Caine assumed his boss was having flashbacks to the last time Keely had been there and snuck into the back room.
This woman was a pain in the ass. Found trouble everywhere.
Laying low didn’t seem to be a familiar concept for her.
The polar opposite of him. It made it all the more strange that Caine couldn’t stop thinking of her.
“Let’s go.”
Nash passed him and started down the hall. Caine remained a few paces behind and noticed Ridge fall in line, shaking his head with a small smile playing on his lips.
“You’re like the fucking fun police.”
Caine ignored the dig, keeping his focus on the current task at hand.
Keely.